Special Guests

One of MAD magazine's longest-running cartoonists (only Al Jaffee has been around longer) and the creator of dim-witted barbarian Groo the Wanderer, Sergio Aragonés is one of comics’ most popular creators. In addition to his continuing work for MAD, Sergio—the man some call the world’s fastest cartoonist—had his own comic book series at Bongo Comics, Sergio Aragonés Funnies. His recent work includes a 12-issue maxi series from Dark Horse Comics, Groo and Friends.

Michael Cho is a freelance cartoonist/illustrator based in Toronto. Michael has drawn a few stories and a large variety of covers for publishers including Marvel, DC, and Image. He’s also received a few awards and nominations for his work along the way. His first graphic novel, Shoplifter, was published by Pantheon and debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List. He is currently working on a follow-up project.

James Dashner was born and raised in Georgia but now lives and writes in the Rocky Mountains. The Fever Code is the fifth book in his #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, which includes The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order, and The Fever Code. He is also the author of the bestselling Mortality Doctrine series: The Eye of Minds, The Rule of Thoughts, and The Game of Lives. To learn more about James and his books, visit jamesdashner.com, follow @jamesdashner on Twitter, and find him on Instagram at @dashnerjames.

Delilah S. Dawson writes the Ladycastle comic series for BOOM! Studios. As a novelist, she's the author of Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon and Scorched, the Blud series, the YA thrillers Hit and Strike, YA horror Servants of the Storm, various short stories, and The Shadow series, a fantasy Western written as Lila Bowen and beginning with Wake of Vultures. Delilah lives in the north Georgia mountains with her family and hangs out online at whimsydark.com and on Twitter @delilahsdawson.

Native Californian Olivia De Berardinis has been painting professionally for four decades.Her work can be seen in galleries and magazines worldwide. From 1985 to 2015, Olivia’s pin-up paintings appeared in Playboy magazine, often with captions written by Hugh Hefner.

Larry Dixon is beloved for 30+ years as a cover artist, 250+ convention appearances, many novels with Mercedes Lackey, and expertise in dozens of fields. Larry attended UNCSA & SCAD, was started in fantasy and science fiction by artist Michael Whelan and author Anne McCaffrey, and was nicknamed “The Gryphon King” by Andre Norton. He is accomplished as a comics artist, modelmaker, sculptor, logo designer, standup/MC, hotrodder, and falconer, and was a consultant for the Harry Potter, LOTR, and Hobbit films. Larry has worked on 60+ games since the 1970s and is among the USA’s finest B&W artists. He is a former firefighter, racecar driver, and stormspotter. Recently, Larry has been screenwriting for The Gamers franchise.

Born in Portland, ME in 1962, Kevin Eastman began drawing at a very young age, copying children’s books and reading comics. Inspired by master storyteller Jack Kirby, and later by self-publishing creators such as Richard Corben, Vaughn Bode, and Dave Sim, all of Eastman’s early work focused more on science fiction influences than traditional superhero style comics.

In 1982, while trying to sell some of his illustrations to local fanzines, he met Peter Laird in Northampton, MA and Mirage Studios, was formed. Less than a year later in the middle of a late night jam session, Eastman doodled a new character he dubbed a “Ninja Turtle” to make Laird laugh—several sketches and a final drawing of four characters later “Eastman and Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” had officially entered the universe!

Self-published in May 1984, the first issue sold out of its 3000 copies overnight and quickly became a fan favorite. Catching the eye of merchandising agents and Hollywood producers, Eastman and Laird maintained full control of their creations while guiding them through licensing, TV series adaptation, and feature films. By 1989 the TMNT’s were number one in all three categories.

In between TMNT projects, Eastman found time to establish the Words and Pictures Museum of Cartoon Art, created an artist-friendly publishing company, Tundra Publishing, where projects like The Crow, From Hell, and American Splendor first flourished, as well as purchased world renowned Heavy Metal magazine.

Currently spending most of his creative time working on a new TMNT series with IDW Publishing, Eastman resides in San Diego with wife, Courtney (aka First Lady of the Turtles), son Shane, as well as a few insane Dachshunds.

Mark Evanier has been writing comic books since he was 17, having started reading them when he was about that many minutes old. He apprenticed with the great Jack Kirby and has written much about Jack and comic book history. =He's written countless comics including many with the superstars of Disney, Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera, as well as Blackhawk and others for DC, his own co-creations including The DNAgents, Crossfire, and Magnor, plus he does something (God knows what) on Groo the Wanderer with Sergio Aragonés. He's also written hundreds of hours for TV including sitcoms, variety shows and cartoons, including writing/producing 20 years of Garfield the Cat.

Sanford Greene has worked professionally in comics illustration and related industries for over 12 years. You can see his most recent work in the hit Marvel series Powerman and Iron Fist, as well as covers for Black Panther.

Chad Hardin’s love affair with comics started in his early childhood growing up in Las Vegas, NV. He studied Art at Southern Utah University where he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Illustration and later received his MFA at the Academy of Art University San Francisco. In 2005 he quit his full time job in video games to pursue drawing comics freelance. In 2006 he began working for DC Comics on Countdown to Mystery; that work led to other assignments including Reign in Hell, The Spirit, The Warlord, Zatanna, and Demon Knights. In 2013 Chad became the artist on DC’s New 52 hit title Harley Quinn, written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti. Harley Quinn #1 for DC’s Rebirth event became one of the best-selling comics of 2016. Life hasn’t been the same since.

Phil Jimenez is an Inkpot, Diamond, and Wizard award-winning writer and artist who has worked for DC Entertainment, Marvel Entertainment, and a host of other comic book companies for over 25 years (and on three of the industry's best-selling single issues of the past 10 years). Best known for his work on Tempest, JLA/Titans, Planetary/Authority; The Invisibles,New-X-Men, Astonishing X-Men, Wonder Woman, Infinite Crisis, Amazing Spider-Man, Adventure Comics, The Transformers, DC: Rebirth, Superwoman, and his creator owned project Otherworld, Jimenez has also worked as a creator in film, television, traditional print media, and design/packaging for toy companies. He has created large-scale artworks for public spaces, schools, and museums in New York and Chicago; lectured at universities, museums, and the Library of Congress on identity and diversity in entertainment; and mentors young designers at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. Considered one of the most prominent gay creators in mainstream comics (Entertainment Weekly, the Advocate, OUT magazine/Out 100 alum), Jimenez also teaches life drawing and at the School of Visual Arts in NYC and an online sequential storytelling class for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. FB, Instagram, and Twitter @Philjimeneznyc

Mission Statement

The SAN DIEGO COMIC CONVENTION (Comic-Con International) is a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation organized for charitable purposes and dedicated to creating the general public’s awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms, including participation in and support of public presentations, conventions, exhibits, museums and other public outreach activities which celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture.